In March last year, when Flipkart and Myntra decided to launch a comprehensive ‘mobile only’ strategy for their users, then at that time, Internet activists proclaimed that mobile is the only future when it comes to ecommerce.

However, In May this year, when Myntra decided to bring back their desktop version, and stopped forcing users to install their apps, then some sanity returned to the industry, and instead of adapting ‘mobile-only’ strategy, mobile became yet another stream for attracting users.

Mobile-only strategy has again been debunked by a new report by TCS-GenZ which has stated that for Indian teens, desktop and laptop are still the most preferred way to access Internet. As per the results of this study, 44% of Indian teens still prefer desktop and laptops to access Internet, compared to 43% who prefer smartphones for accessing the web.

This study was conducted on students who are in Class 8th to 12th, was undertaken to comprehend the browsing habits of teenagers.

The report said, “Technology has transformed young India. The gadgets considered as luxuries earlier have swiftly become necessities making an impact on both their student and personal lives.”

Some interesting pointers from the report:

– 26% of Indian teenagers spend atleast an hour everyday, online

– 27% of respondents admitted that they respond to any notification received on their respective social networks within 5 minutes

– Facebook is the default leader of all social networks with 86% of Indian teens having a presence there

– Google is the #1 website when it comes to browsing as 65% of the respondents accessing that

– Boys are more active when it comes to Internet compared to girls. This finding is perfectly in synch with our last year’s report, wherein we had stated that 49% of Indian women don’t find any purpose of accessing Internet

– Parents are monitoring web activities of 49% of Indian teenagers

– 48% of all respondents admitted that their parents have access to their online accounts

– Whatsapp has again proved to be the #1 messenger as 71% of Indian teens admitted their presence there

– SMS is indeed dying as only 12% of Indian teens are using it as a platform to communicate

– In a boost to Indian ecommerce, 87% of Indian teenagers confessed that they shop online and pay online (Interestingly, 57% of all online purchases made by Indian teenagers in electronics gadgets)

– 50% of all online shopping done by Indian teens are books, followed by clothes at 37%

– Now, another interesting find: TV and Newspapers is considered as the primary source of news for 79% of teenagers while 38% of respondents told that links and stories shared on Facebook is their main source of news consumption

– In terms of education, 21% of Indian teenagers use videos to grasp new knowledge while 20.5% of the teens use videos for school assignments

The study also aimed to find out how much importance Indian teenagers give to face-to-face interactions compared to phone calls and social media. The best part is, 40% of Indian teens still consider face to face communication as an important mode of interaction.

Mohul keenly observes the nuances of Indian startup world; and tries to demystify the secrets behind Technology, Marketing, Mobile and Internet. He is a Writer by passion, Marketer by choice and Entrepreneur by compulsion. Follow him on Twitter here: @_mohul